RingMaster

This is essentially the fourth time they've done this to her. She had two different looks in 15 (the commercial and the scareactor in Where Evil Hides), another for Sweet 16's Arrival show and a southern accent for Dungeon of Terror Retold. Now she has this one, and I gotta say, she is not scary-looking at all. She looks even less scary than the Director does. All in all, though, Bloody Mary is the only icon to truly freak me the freak out; she is genuinely TERRIFYING in my opinion. And strangely hot/sexy at the same time. EDIT: Now that I remember it, the posters of the Storyteller from 15 are another variant of the character. Now that makes three for one character 0_o.

More like Photoshopped all the cuts and bruises off and threw a veil over her head. They'll probably give her a codename like Gory Betty or Red Robin. I wonder if Hallow'd Past will utilize ALL of the Parade Building's space. With 19 years of haunted houses to cover, I would imagine it would have to be a pretty massive house.

Actually, the Mythology house is all the way over in the Soundstages. Disaster is the RUN-esque carnie game show from Hell house.

Maybe not the Caretaker himself in that old Victorian manor, but perhaps another very close family member... ....as in, what if Cindy's house isn't Jaws, but Soundstage 22? I know sequel houses are a taboo topic here alongside movie houses and Jack, but given the idea that the Disaster house may, in fact, be the RUN house that never was starring Eddie, then 22 could possibly be the Screamhouse that never was starring Cindy (even though, in theory, it would essentially be the same as it was in 2002 but with a little girl instead of a caretaker as the star).

The only two things I can remember are that the Headless Horseman from American Gothic carried around a lantern, and Julian Browning carries around a flashlight. Both objects capture and shine light. Other than that, I'm drawing a blank. Unless we count the fire as the source and not the lantern itself. That can be traced all the way back to the original Fright Nights, if I'm not mistaken.

Methinks the "unidentified markings/pattern" be from the lantern on the main HHN site. Perhaps scraps thrown into the fire inside the demonic lantern as to rid oneself of evidence?

Um.....I guess this means the JAWS queue house is Skoolhouse Part Two, then? Perhaps tying in Mary's grandmother as well as Cindy together in one house?

I'm led to believe the mummified corpse in of the pictures is actually from the Parade Building and not Disaster or the Second Sprung Tent, seeing as how one of the actor codenames is a Mummified Corpse.

I remember that post on that forum as well. While it is from a guy that, like you mentioned, had a knack for stirring up ruckus, a few bullet points seem worth taking a second look, in particular, these: 3 - One of the houses is rumored to be a Greek mythology house, and we've already talked about Hades and the underworld, so.... 8 - Libraries hold massive amounts of history books, so the rumors of a museum-themed house involving the history of HHN can go along with this one. 9 - One of the characters in the Jaws house is code-named 'Valedictorian" and more people are floating to the idea of Cindy being the focal point of that maze. I'm not saying this means that Cindy will be the new icon this year, however. I think the other ones are either very vague or are just filler material to throw people off. But don't assume that I am agreeing with That One Guy; I am as skeptical/apprehensive as the next guy (especially since that post assumes that there will be NINE houses instead of the requisite 8). It's just that now that I look back at it, it may just be worth it to give it a second look. 'K, I'll shut up, now.

Well, that pretty much negates any belief that the Disaster house will be centered around the marvelous misadventures of a chainsaw-wielding psychopath wearing a Hannibal-styled mask. The idea of it being a Mardi Gras-themed house also makes a bit more sense now considering two roles in that particular house lie within the codenames of "Carny" and "Clown". My guess is a trek through the streets of New Orleans given the fact that one scene is in a proposed body shop, yet I think it sounds a bit too similar to the abysmal Blood Bath maze from '07, what with the possibility of goth-styled vampires stalking the streets of SF. Maybe this will give them the opportunity to reuse the Mardi Gras floats as makeshift props for that particular scare zone, assuming they'd really want to "break them in", so to speak, to give them that HHN feel to them.

This was the best picture I could find with him holding the weapon in question, but: Barbers use scissors. The Caretaker uses a massive pair of scissors to aid in his...job. This is only if 'Barber' is another codename keeping people from knowing the real role of that particular character for the Jaws house.

For some reason, this idea makes sense with the Disaster house if a clown is involved with what appears to be a grungy garage/body shop. Perhaps this is where ol' Saucy Jack meets his maker at the hands of his own brother, and Eddie takes center stage he so desperately deserved. Maybe with Cindy it's a bit different, as she still has nightmares about everything that happened at the infamous funeral parlor, including the Nightmare Man himself - her own father. Maybe she finally overcomes her fears and offs Old Man Caine to redeem herself...or maybe continue in her father's footsteps?

Carey, OH is the backdrop for both HHN 18 and 19. Carey Elementary, The Butchered Buck, Dr. Agana's Medical Clinic, Universal Palace Theater, Meetz Meats, and Wyandot County Water Treatment Center are all in the fictional town (don't remember if LegendaryTruth is stationed in Carey, though, need someone to help me out with that one). It was said that 18, 19, and 20 are underneath a three-year-arc, and considering Carey was featured in the first two, it should be reasonably believed that the town will play a part in HHN XX, if it's only one house or if it's the whole event.

The Storyteller needs light to properly read from her storybook. The Caretaker needs a lantern to aid in graverobbing during the night hours. The Director needs lights to shine on his victims and make them look their "Sunday best" for the camera. The Usher needs a flashlight in order to weed out those being disrespectful to his theater. Old-world carnivals used lanterns as makeshift spotlights during shows. Jack-o-lanterns are a major focal point of the Halloween season. It would be shocking to not see the lantern on the site become a major focal point of this year's Horror Nights.

Especially since that's precisely the reason why she got snubbed in the first place because of the string of child abductions in the area that particular year (2002). Here's something that popped into my head just now - could Chance be an older Sindy? Perhaps after the funeral parlor burning down she runs away and stumbles upon the infamous Oddfellow's Carnival. Prior to the events of CoC, Jack is still very much alive (using the original backstory of Jack, I am) and is still very much a murderer of younglings. He attempts to off Cindy but realizes that she is very much...different from the other children. Very...disturbed...she is. Pulling a Grinch, Jack takes her under her wing for a very short period of time until he is eventually apprehended by authorities and is killed after finding the bodies of his victims in his trunk. This would be the second time Cindy has lost someone near and dear to her. However, being the disturbed child that she is, she ends up pulling a Jesus resurrecting Lazarus from the dead, but with an evil clown...and a disturbed child doing the resurrecting. Anyway, Jack comes back (much to the chagrin of everyone on this forum reading this) and confronts - I mean, KILLS - Oddfellow after being led to believe he threw Jack under the bus, so to speak, so as not to get dragged along with his sadistic tendencies and be called as a assistant to murder. Then, the events of CoC unfold, as Jack travels the country and Cindy grows older and dons the new name of Chance. ...and I just pissed off every fan of Cindy in here. Oops.

That's going to be really weird to see Screamhouse leave the soundstage after three incarnations to a location like Jaws. Not to mention that would really be way too similar to the original Screamhouse to begin with; the original had you going inside the charred remains of the funeral home (at least, it would've appeared that way by looking at the facade).

One last bit of speculation and then I'll shut up. And this will probably ruffle a bunch of feathers the same way it did with the thought of the Crazies maze in the Second Sprung Tent. Given the fact that we're currently on the speculation of Greek myths and the history of evil, something popped into my head about a particular icon from Horror Nights past that would work well for a situation like this... ...the Storyteller. Now hang on, before you grab the pitchforks from Sprung 2, hear me out. Technically, she is the only icon without a developed backstory, and that's if you discount the storyline of Dungeon of Terror Retold from Sweet 16 where she was part of a family bent on disciplining those with intolerable behavior...well, let's just discount that storyline entirely for the purpose of this particular speculative post. Anyway, I had rather always wanted her to be redone as one of the infamous Sisters of Fate. The three sisters are an integral part of Greek mythology, weaving the Threads of Life for all living mortals, and deciding when someone will live/die. See here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moirae for more details and information. In most versions of the Greek Fate sisters, they are told as old cronies, and on some occasions, shown as all three being blind except for one eye that they share amongst each other; this is most evident in the Disney film Hercules: ...and as the Sisters are the focal point of the game God of War 2: Since The Storyteller was originally made as a character that can bring stories to life (as evidenced by Tales of Terror and the original plans for Scary Tales 3 at the Sweet 16), why not try to rewrite her as the last surviving Sister of Fate, an old, withering, one-eyed hag with a decayed storybook and a ball of twine? Perhaps maybe even carrying a mystical box tempting any curious female to open and unleash untold evils upon the earth? ...'k, now I'll shut up.

.....Dr. Agana had a jewelry box passed down to her from her grandmother that possessed her over time. Since Bloody Mary probably may not return to HHN, the story could be rewritten to have the jewelry box be the modern day incarnation of said Pandora's Box. Otherwise, I see a little girl holding in her hands a mysterious box and opens it, unleashing untold sorts of unspeakable horrors amongst a quaint little village town in Ohio...which may already have some nasty evils lurking within the confines of its many buildings of its own.

Even though some clues, rooms, and positions indicate the possibility of a house being based off of The Crazies in the Second Sprung Tent...

And I'm not saying that JAWS will be like Where Evil Hides were guests actually go up to a second level. I think it would be either special access for monsters like a stand or platform, or even going the route of a faux second story through staircases like NOES, Vampyr, and Screamhouse Resurrection.

Well, Dracula and Wolfman had to have a second level to them in order for a few of the key actors to pull off either a special flying or leaping effect. Even Creatures! from '08 had the scene where an alien stood on top of a rafter above the guests in the finale room. I know those are in soundstages, but let's not discount the idea of a second story added to a maze only to enhance a certain scare.

Come to think of it, there was that scene involving one of the 'crazies' wielding a pitchfork and offing a couple of people strapped to gurneys. Of course, it is taboo to even mention the idea of a movie house in these parts, seeing as how there are so many people that insist there are no movie houses and no form of it being a reunion year.

In a twisted sort of way, that idea makes sense. Especially since last year at Howl-O-Scream there was the wildly popular DED (Delta Epsilon Delta) sorority house. This may also be some twisted tie-in to Bill & Ted next door, seeing as how the majority of viewers and jokes are directed towards drunken college kids.

Also surprised no one mentioned that lanterns cast shadows and last year's scarezone was titled 'Shadows of the Past.' Oh, and about the bed clothes and valedictorian in the Jaws house.... I know there were a few school peeps inside LitC last year, so this may be a successor to that maze in the town of Carey, Ohio, itself. I think it may be a trek through all the various storefronts (Leave it to Cleaver, Hell's Kitchen, Hotel Hell), a suburban house (Where Evil Hides), and even a school (Hell's High), all under siege by some form of a curse (maybe even a glimpse inside the Palace Theater). But, this is mere speculation for speculation's sake. I'll shut up now.

Maybe even going so far as to have different interpretations of the Underworld by different myths and religions. Obviously we have the Greek mythology house to go on and the aspect of Hades' Underworld, but possibly other versions of the 'dark realm' can be implemented, say, Dante's Inferno/Divine Comedy?